What does a territory sales manager do?
A territory sales manager is an individual who supervises the daily sales operations of sales representatives that are assigned to a particular location. Territory sales managers are required to meet sales targets to gain an increase in revenues and must maintain excellent customer relationships. They attend trade shows to promote the products and services of the company at the same time, conduct surveys to better understand the needs of their customers. As they are engaged in sales, territory sales managers must possess a bachelor's degree in business administration or management.
Territory sales manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real territory sales manager resumes:
- Manage all the Costco Midwest regional activity.
- Manage annual marketing budget of $1.0 MM.
- Manage accounts and territory with CRM software to optimize production
- Manage process and documentation flow from initial contact through program execution, including timely CRM management.
- Accomplish this by actively prospecting new business, maintaining accountability on all sales efforts, and actualizing attentiveness to detail.
- Promote excellent customer satisfaction by focusing efforts on ethics, integrity and dependability.
- Develop compelling value propositions and deliver winning proposals to c-level executives and key decision makers.
- Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
- Develop and complete requests for proposal (RFP) response and client proposal presentations.
- Demonstrate sales achievement, contract development, negotiation, implementation and management of corporate service agreements and winning RFP's.
- Deliver $1.0 MM in incremental revenue to PepsiCo annually.
- Promote cardiovascular products for the treatment of hypertension.
- Focuse on hypertension and cholesterol management treatment strategies.
- Increase sales/profitability and growth margins by consistently implementing innovative merchandising, up-selling/cross selling and POS strategies.
- Maintain accurate account records including evaluations of previously execute plans, merchandise, POS and competitive activities.
Territory sales manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Territory Sales Managers are proficient in Territory Sales, Customer Service, and Healthcare. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Territory Sales Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Territory Sales, 11%
Developed an annual territory sales planning process that produced significant increases in sales to existing customers and securing new prospect business.
- Customer Service, 9%
Maintained face-to-face contact and delivered excellent customer service to direct accounts, as well as various distributor national key accounts.
- Healthcare, 6%
Managed a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
- CRM, 6%
Selected Expertise: Microsoft Office Platform Expert Apple Mac Proficiency Website Development/Management Online/Print document creation SalesForce CRM Management Sales Team 20+ Management
- Patients, 5%
Developed marketing strategies assisting the orthopedic surgeons and hospital facilities with introducing our custom total knee implants to potential patients.
- Work Ethic, 5%
Promoted consistently over company tenure due to strong work ethic and commitment towards company success
Common skills that a territory sales manager uses to do their job include "territory sales," "customer service," and "healthcare." You can find details on the most important territory sales manager responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a territory sales manager to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." Territory sales managers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "monitored, tracked and evaluated sales data to ensure satisfaction of sales objectives. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform territory sales manager duties is communication skills. Territory sales managers responsibilities require that "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Territory sales managers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "utilized communication skills in conveying pertinent information to customers regarding product, developing solid customer relationships. "
Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for territory sales managers to perform their duties. For an example of how territory sales manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a territory sales manager: "demonstrated excellent district sales results through direct sales calls on regional and district management of customers. ".
Leadership skills. A big part of what territory sales managers do relies on "leadership skills." You can see how essential it is to territory sales manager responsibilities because "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical territory sales manager tasks: "promoted into management position after showing leadership qualities and exceeding sales quotas for consecutive months. "
The three companies that hire the most territory sales managers are:
- Danaher86 territory sales managers jobs
- Apria Healthcare75 territory sales managers jobs
- Colfax Corporation71 territory sales managers jobs
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Compare different territory sales managers
Territory sales manager vs. Product manager/sales
A sales product manager is responsible for monitoring the sales performance of a specific product and ensuring that the marketing strategies adhere to market standards and client requirements. Sales product managers work closely with the marketing and public relations team to enhance the product's brand image on various market platforms to reach the target audience. They also conduct data and statistical analysis to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, territory sales manager responsibilities require skills like "territory sales," "healthcare," "patients," and "work ethic." Meanwhile a typical product manager/sales has skills in areas such as "product management," "cycle management," "product development," and "project management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Product managers/sales really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $108,541. Comparatively, territory sales managers tend to make the most money in the retail industry with an average salary of $77,665.The education levels that product managers/sales earn slightly differ from territory sales managers. In particular, product managers/sales are 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a territory sales manager. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Territory sales manager vs. Account executive/sales manager
An Account Executive/Sales Manager manages client accounts, building positive client relationships in the process. Part of their job is to secure sales, which requires them to conduct research and analysis to find new business and client opportunities, generate leads, offer products and services to clients through calls and correspondence, arrange appointments, and process payments. There are instances where they must assist clients by resolving issues and concerns, ensuring client satisfaction. Moreover, they are also responsible for developing sales plans and strategies while implementing the company's policies and regulations among staff.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that territory sales manager responsibilities requires skills like "territory sales," "crm," "patients," and "work ethic." But an account executive/sales manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "account executives," "sales professionals," "real estate," and "business sales."
Account executive/sales managers earn a lower average salary than territory sales managers. But account executive/sales managers earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $51,472. Additionally, territory sales managers earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $77,665 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Account executive/sales managers tend to reach similar levels of education than territory sales managers. In fact, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for territory sales managers in the next 3-5 years?
Bill Thorne
Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation
Territory sales manager vs. Business development sales manager
A business development sales manager is in charge of securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or appointments. Their responsibilities often revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new leads and sales opportunities, offering different products and services, and creating proposals and price quotes for potential clients. A business development sales manager may also tailor payment plans, process billing, participate in various marketing initiatives, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure customer satisfaction and build positive relationships to strengthen the company's client base.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, territory sales managers are more likely to have skills like "territory sales," "patients," "work ethic," and "strong work ethic." But a business development sales manager is more likely to have skills like "salesforce," "customer relationships," "product development," and "strong analytical."
Business development sales managers make a very good living in the professional industry with an average annual salary of $130,807. On the other hand, territory sales managers are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $77,665.When it comes to education, business development sales managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to territory sales managers. In fact, they're 4.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Territory sales manager vs. Regional sales and marketing manager
A regional sales and marketing manager's role is to oversee a company's marketing operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, gathering and analyzing data to determine the strengths and weaknesses of current programs and procedures, setting goals and budgets, assessing the performance of the workforce, and monitoring the progress of the different company branches within the region. Furthermore, as a regional sales and marketing manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the employees to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of territory sales manager
Updated January 8, 2025
